Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Jul 17, 2011 10:11 pm Hi, I am new to the forum and after some advice please. I have done some searches and can't find the exact info I need so I do apologise if I'm asking questions which have previously been answered. We have an area of 85m2 which we want Roll out lawn put down. It has a gentle slope from the house to the back fence which is around 500mm. We received a quote from a lawn company which is offering free irrigation if you do their 'premium' prep. I am a real beginner with this whole lawn and irrigation so please excuse my terminology! They said because of the size we will be getting kiss irrigation (?) which doesn't require backflow valves. Is this correct? As part of this premium package, they insist you must steralise and do some seed kill thing at a cost of $280 and $210 respectively. If you don't do it you don't get the free irrigation. What I don't get is how this is really necessary. If they are going to steralise the dirt and then excavate up to 500mm, surely all this sterilized dirt is then essentially being dug out??!!! I just don't get a good vibe from the owner of the company. We have been quoted $3315 for excavation, organic soil, noonan kikuyu lawn and irrigation. And they come out every season for as long as you live in the house to do soil checks and arrange fertilizers for you. I'm just not sure if we are Getting ripped off. We still have to pay the $490 for sterilizing and pay around $500 for the dump fees on top of the $3315. Any thoughts/advice/answers would be much appreciated. Thank you! Re: Am I being ripped off? Re turf 2Jul 18, 2011 1:16 pm Akers of lawn? Had much the same with us too, without the 'free' irrigation offer, but pretty much around $400 to spray and sterilize the seeds in the existing soil. Seemed like bollocks to me personally, as like you said they then remove most of the treated soil before laying anyway. I pulled them up on that point and they said "it was still recommended they do it" they would do it for a reduced fee if i felt better. Their followup service is pretty good in terms of any issues they are there within a day or two, we had some sprinkler heads that needed adjusting and they came out and did it for me and then left a few of the little tools so i could do it myself if need be. As for the yearly (or what turns out to be almost quarterly badgering) with fertilizers, i caved once and it cost me almost $50 for supposedly just the cost of the fertilizer!?! never again. Will stick with my own Seasol/powerfeed/molasses/milk etc thanks! Building Modified Boston Mk11 with Fairmont Homes Seaford Meadows Contracts signed Sept '09 Slab Poured 8/2/10 Frame Started 15/3/10 ----Frame Finished 22/3/10 Brickwork started 23/3/10 ----FINISHED 25/3/10! Insulation/Wiring/Gyprock started 8/4/10 ---- 10/4/10 Kitchen completed 21/6/10 Storm-water Completed 21/6/10 Painting Started 3/7/10 FINISHED HANDOVER 5/8/10!!!!! Re: Am I being ripped off? Re turf 4Jul 18, 2011 3:10 pm We fortunately didnt have any such condition on ours, but i said yes to a discounted steralizing price, somewhere in the order of $200 all up, id be pushing them to lower that price (they should be REALLY flexible this time of year anyway with business slowing) and drive that price down for sure. In hindsight id prob do it all myself, it would be much cheaper and it isnt all that hard to do, we just needed it done QUICKLY before christmas last year and hence went with them as they promised it would be done. Building Modified Boston Mk11 with Fairmont Homes Seaford Meadows Contracts signed Sept '09 Slab Poured 8/2/10 Frame Started 15/3/10 ----Frame Finished 22/3/10 Brickwork started 23/3/10 ----FINISHED 25/3/10! Insulation/Wiring/Gyprock started 8/4/10 ---- 10/4/10 Kitchen completed 21/6/10 Storm-water Completed 21/6/10 Painting Started 3/7/10 FINISHED HANDOVER 5/8/10!!!!! Re: Am I being ripped off? Re turf 5Jul 18, 2011 4:42 pm The director didn't seem like he was going to budge at all. I called their reception today and told them we are going to just do it ourselves. I have worked out we will save around $2k. But no irrigation sadly. I am going to follow Fu's lawn prep advice. I really liked the idea of it all being done relatively quickly. But I think saving $2k is worth it taking a month or so to complete everything like excavating, edging, paving and lawn. Re: Am I being ripped off? Re turf 6Jul 19, 2011 11:33 am Dal? He was pretty friendly, and managed to do a really cheap quote in the end all things considered.... Hey do it ya'self for sure! its not hard, just time consuming, and irrigation is just as easy, do subsurface! Our requirement was quickness, now its all in i kinda regret not doing it myself, but its in now best of luck! Building Modified Boston Mk11 with Fairmont Homes Seaford Meadows Contracts signed Sept '09 Slab Poured 8/2/10 Frame Started 15/3/10 ----Frame Finished 22/3/10 Brickwork started 23/3/10 ----FINISHED 25/3/10! Insulation/Wiring/Gyprock started 8/4/10 ---- 10/4/10 Kitchen completed 21/6/10 Storm-water Completed 21/6/10 Painting Started 3/7/10 FINISHED HANDOVER 5/8/10!!!!! Re: Am I being ripped off? Re turf 7Jul 20, 2011 1:47 am You must have RPZ valves which are a whole different kettle of fish to a back flow valve. The installer will be rehashing the product info on the anti syphon feature of the KISS pipe. Personally I find it annoying to use for the cost compared to other systems. I lost interest when they changed the pipe they use inside. Having said that, we do have a few forum members that have used it and are happy. Under turf, its a no brainier. You must have an RPZ valve and the cost a bomb! They must also be installed by a licenced plumber and calibrated each year. The water board will need a copy of the cert. in many cases. The answer ultimately lays with your water supplier not the irrigation people. Not installing one will compromise the integrity of not only your water supply but that of your neighbours. Re: Am I being ripped off? Re turf 8Jul 20, 2011 1:51 am I'll bet my left nut that their premium prep doesn't cut it against what all turf mobs should be doing as outlined on this forum. Zeolite, spongolite/perlite. Certified organic composts with low nitrogen content and low odour, some sand in there too. All mixed through to 30cm of the existing soil, not layered. The killing of weeds and "sterilising" as a concept not only frustrates me when other old school Pros say to do this, it ultimately is pretty silly. My garage door has started playing up recently. 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